You can keep your enemies at bay with reach weapons. You gain the following benefits:
When you take the Attack action and attack with only a glaive, halberd, or quarterstaff, you can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon. This attack uses the same ability modifier as the primary attack. The weapon’s damage die for this attack is a d4, and it deals bludgeoning damage.
While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, or quarterstaff, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.
Does this mean I dont add my proficiency bonus when using the butt end?
You don't add your proficiency bonus if you're not proficient with the weapon you're using. If you are, however, you do. It's still the same weapon, after all.
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
It's weird, but pikes were apparently left off the list on purpose. I don't see how it's more unwieldy than a halberd, but whatever.
Historically, pikes varied from 10 to 25 feet in length. So yeah, they're kinda unwieldy. And they should probably have an extra 10 feet of reach, if not more; giving them only an extra 5 feet seems to miss the point. (See what I did there?)
That’s my point though. Pikes seem like they should be different and unique, but in 5e, they are basically the same as halberds—a heavy two-handed reach weapon. If there wasn’t much reason to use one over the other before, there is certainly a reason NOT to use them now if you have that feat.
I agree that pikes should have longer reach. They were also formation weapons. A pikeman on his own would be in serious trouble. If you can get past the head you are probably safe to run up and stab him. What made massed pikes so deadly is that there were pikes in a second and third rank waiting to skewer you if you got past the pint of the first rank pikes. Multiple ranks of sharp steel points.
Raised up the pikes could provide protection from arrows as well.
Historically, pikes varied from 10 to 25 feet in length. So yeah, they're kinda unwieldy. And they should probably have an extra 10 feet of reach, if not more; giving them only an extra 5 feet seems to miss the point. (See what I did there?)
The problem is that you can't wield a polearm at that length effectively. That's not a problem in a pike formation because it just needs to be held in one position. If you were forced to use a pike in a skirmish, you wouldn't hold it out at 15 feet, because 10 feet is still a lot and it's easier to move the tip around if you hold it closer to you.
That’s my point though. Pikes seem like they should be different and unique, but in 5e, they are basically the same as halberds—a heavy two-handed reach weapon. If there wasn’t much reason to use one over the other before, there is certainly a reason NOT to use them now if you have that feat.
That's fine. A pike is not a weapon an adventurer would want to carry around. It's there because it can come up in other contexts. For example, in Curse of Strahd one of the villages has guards armed with pikes to attack through the town gate if needed.
Tridents, whips and blowguns are other examples of weapons that are impractical for self-defense but make sense to have in other situations.
I do agree that game-wise it is much easier to lump pikes in with other pole arms than to make a separate category just for them. And if the feat is one place to differentiate them in a meaningful way, then that's fair.
The OP is also from over a year ago, so it's worth nothing that the feat has been errata'd to include spears. The pike should really be redesigned with the Special, and change the reach or damage in some way.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Here in lays the problem, spear 5ft reach, pike 10ft reach.
So that would seem a spear is about 4ft long. If as someone states a pike is 12-18ft why can it only reach 10ft.
Now if I have a 7ft long spear (standard for single combat use) I must be able to reach out to 10ft?
What they seem to have done is over simplify the weapons tables. Poor lazy writing.
If you're criticizing based on realism, then you have to examine it all the way as well, soooo... Don't forget that you aren't always exactly 5/10 feet away from a target - characters "fill" the grid space they're on, but they're actually moving around their 5 foot space constantly in combat. With that in mind, if you're at the back of your space, and the opponent is at the back of theirs, and you're using a reach weapon, you're actually trying to strike someone 15 feet away. Combat with a reach weapon ranges anywhere in distance from 5 feet to 15 feet(ish), based on positioning. Combat with a non-reach weapon ranges anywhere from 0 feet to 10 feet(ish).
Of course, most of these attacks are made with the assumption that you're likely lunging/moving towards your opponent (rather than sitting at the back of your space), but the point is still relevant.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Does this mean I dont add my proficiency bonus when using the butt end?
You don't add your proficiency bonus if you're not proficient with the weapon you're using. If you are, however, you do. It's still the same weapon, after all.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
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Why isn't the pike included in the first feature?
https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/641666088917336064
It's weird, but pikes were apparently left off the list on purpose. I don't see how it's more unwieldy than a halberd, but whatever.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Pikes are really long - 10 to 25 feet long. They're designed to be held in formation to form a wall of spikes; they're not something you swing around.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
Pikes are considerably less handy than halberds, glaives, etc.
Historically, pikes varied from 10 to 25 feet in length. So yeah, they're kinda unwieldy. And they should probably have an extra 10 feet of reach, if not more; giving them only an extra 5 feet seems to miss the point. (See what I did there?)
DICE FALL, EVERYONE ROCKS!
That’s my point though. Pikes seem like they should be different and unique, but in 5e, they are basically the same as halberds—a heavy two-handed reach weapon. If there wasn’t much reason to use one over the other before, there is certainly a reason NOT to use them now if you have that feat.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I agree that pikes should have longer reach. They were also formation weapons. A pikeman on his own would be in serious trouble. If you can get past the head you are probably safe to run up and stab him. What made massed pikes so deadly is that there were pikes in a second and third rank waiting to skewer you if you got past the pint of the first rank pikes. Multiple ranks of sharp steel points.
Raised up the pikes could provide protection from arrows as well.
The problem is that you can't wield a polearm at that length effectively. That's not a problem in a pike formation because it just needs to be held in one position. If you were forced to use a pike in a skirmish, you wouldn't hold it out at 15 feet, because 10 feet is still a lot and it's easier to move the tip around if you hold it closer to you.
That's fine. A pike is not a weapon an adventurer would want to carry around. It's there because it can come up in other contexts. For example, in Curse of Strahd one of the villages has guards armed with pikes to attack through the town gate if needed.
Tridents, whips and blowguns are other examples of weapons that are impractical for self-defense but make sense to have in other situations.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
I do agree that game-wise it is much easier to lump pikes in with other pole arms than to make a separate category just for them. And if the feat is one place to differentiate them in a meaningful way, then that's fair.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
The OP is also from over a year ago, so it's worth nothing that the feat has been errata'd to include spears. The pike should really be redesigned with the Special, and change the reach or damage in some way.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Here in lays the problem, spear 5ft reach, pike 10ft reach.
So that would seem a spear is about 4ft long. If as someone states a pike is 12-18ft why can it only reach 10ft.
Now if I have a 7ft long spear (standard for single combat use) I must be able to reach out to 10ft?
What they seem to have done is over simplify the weapons tables. Poor lazy writing.
If you're criticizing based on realism, then you have to examine it all the way as well, soooo... Don't forget that you aren't always exactly 5/10 feet away from a target - characters "fill" the grid space they're on, but they're actually moving around their 5 foot space constantly in combat. With that in mind, if you're at the back of your space, and the opponent is at the back of theirs, and you're using a reach weapon, you're actually trying to strike someone 15 feet away. Combat with a reach weapon ranges anywhere in distance from 5 feet to 15 feet(ish), based on positioning. Combat with a non-reach weapon ranges anywhere from 0 feet to 10 feet(ish).
Of course, most of these attacks are made with the assumption that you're likely lunging/moving towards your opponent (rather than sitting at the back of your space), but the point is still relevant.
Can we please stop reviving this thread?
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I like the idea of giving a pike extra reach, however it would need to go with rules for facing, which default 5E doesn't have.
Please create a new thread with any additional questions. This thread has aged.
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